This invention relates to ball gloves, and, more particularly, to a ball glove which includes a shell formed from textile reinforced compression molded rubber.
Ball gloves such as baseball gloves and softball gloves conventionally include an outer shell and an inner liner. The outer shells of ball gloves have historically been made of leather. However, leather is expensive.
In order to reduce cost, the outer shells of some ball gloves are made from less expensive synthetic materials, for example, vinyl. Vinyl gloves are particularly suitable for low price point gloves which are sold at a price which is substantially less than the price of a leather glove.
However, less expensive gloves such as vinyl gloves are inferior in quality to leather gloves. Synthetic materials are usually not as strong as leather, and such materials are subject to tearing at holes which are made in the material for lacing and stitching. Also, synthetic materials often cannot be easily shaped to form a ball pocket or broken in to provide a hinging action that facilitates closing the glove around a ball.
The invention provides a ball glove with an inexpensive yet strong outer shell which is formed from textile reinforced compression molded rubber. During molding, the rubber flows into the mesh openings of the textile or fabric and mechanically interlocks with the fabric. The fabric reinforces the rubber, strengthens the rubber around openings for laces and stitches, and reduces the possibility that the shell material will tear. The rubber can also be molded so that the shell has a desired shape or function. For example, the shell can be molded with a concave ball,pocket or a hinge line for facilitating closing the glove.